Chapter 4: Agriculture and Society

4.1 Food Production

1790 – 95% of people in the US were farmers

2000 – 2% are farmers

Pennsylvania Farming

Leading producers of:– Milk– Eggs– Mushrooms

Today’s Farming Trends

From Small Farms– Families

To Large Farms– Corporations

Green Revolution

Modern farming methods

– Irrigation– Equipment– Buildings

Green Revolution

Cheaper Food = Higher standard of living

Problems– Manure– Pollution– Pesticide Resistance

Developing Countries

Human Labor Work Animals Shifting Cultivation

4.2 Food and Fiber

From Farm to Market1. Production

2. Food Processing

3. Packaging

4. Transportation and Distribution

5. Wholesale

6. Markets

From Farm to Market

7. Marketing

8. Regulations

9. Research and Development

10 USDA Farming Regions

1. Northeast1. Mushrooms

2. Cranberries

2. Lake States1. Dairy

3. Appalachian States1. Tobacco

10 USDA Farming Regions

4. Southeast1. Citrus Crops

5. Delta States1. Fishing

2. Sugar Cane

6. Corn Belt1. Soybeans

2. Wheat

10 USDA Farming Regions

7. Northern Plains1. Grasses

2. Barley

8. Southern Plains1. Cattle

10 USDA Farming Regions

9. Mountain States1. Potatoes

10. Pacific1. Fruit

4.3 Soil

Renewable resource But it takes 1,000 years

to make 1 inch

Soil Erosion

A major problem caused by

– Wind– Runoff– Logging

Soil Conservation

It must be conserved to be reused

– Conservation tillage– No-till cultivation

Farming Methods

Contour Farming Strip Cropping Terracing

Soil must be fertilized

Natural– Manure– Compost– Crop Rotation

Artificial– Miracle Grow– Nitrate and Phosphate

enriched

Farms and People

People today have access to a lot!

– Pineapples from Hawaii

US Farmers supply the world with food

The world grows enough food bus some countries can’t afford it

Food Safety

We must practice food safety

– USDA– FDA– EPA

4.4 Agriculture and Technology

Advances in the last 50 years have outdone the last 50,000

– Cotton Gin– Steel Plow– Transcontinental

Railroad– Tractor

Biotechnology

Changing the genetic makeup of plants Allows scientists to improve crops artificially We have been doing this for 10,000 years

Biotechnology

Problems– Expensive– Not sure of long term effects

Benefits– Wider ranges for plants to be productive– More crops and livestock